Feeler mechanism for looms



l. SNOW.

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1, 1920.

1 ,387 ,204. Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

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UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC SNOW, OF LAIVRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRALPER CORPORATION OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FEELER lvrnonanrsivr non LooMs.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A 9 i921 Application filed March 1, 1920. Serial No. 362,381.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that 1, Isaac Snow, a citizen of the United States, residin in'the county of Essex and t'ate of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Feeler Mechanisms for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification,

like characters on the drawings representing 5 like parts.

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms, through the agency of which replenishment of. filling is effected without stopping the loom when the filling in the active shuttle'becomes substantially exhausted. I

In that class of feeler mechanisms wherein re )lenishment of fillin is effected b side swipe or lateral movement of a feeler when filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, the side swipe'or lateral movement of the feeler is effected either by frontward pressure upon it on a detecting beat, or by some mechanical means which is not dependent upon the frontward pressure. In order that a feeler mechanism of this type be sensitive to the presence or substantialfabsence of filling in a' shuttle, the construction must be such that it will respond readily to either condition. In other words, the side swipemovement should not be imparted to a feeler when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle, nor on the other hand, should the feeler fail to partake of its side swipe movement on a detecting beat when filling is substantially exhausted. Failure in either of these respects is liable to produce objectionable waste or important feature of the resent invention therefore, consists of a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom and having a feeler tip.

at Lawrence,

carrier when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat.

In carrying this feature of the invention into effect, the feeler carrier. is provided with a feeler tip which is bodily movable laterally on the feeler carrier, and such bodlly lateral movement is effected on frontward movement of the lay by a spring which exerts'its moving tension frontwardly. On the backward or return movement of the feelercarrier to its feeling position, it is desirable that the feeler tip be returned to its normal feeling position, and the present the opposite direction when the feeler carrier moves to its rearwardfeeling position. In practice, it is found that the feeler tip may be mounted upon the feeler carrier for movement laterally in a curved path under the frontward pull of a spring or other moving means, and may be bodily moved laterally n the opposite direction of the frontward pull of a positively acting means as the feeler returns to its rearward position. The above and other important features of the present invention and novel combination of parts will best be understood. from. the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show one good, practical form of the invention. In the drawings: i Figure 1 is a perspective view of the feeler side of a loom, some of the parts being broken away for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the action of the feeler mechanism when filling is present in the shuttle on a detectin beat; and

*ig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, showing theaction of the feeler mechanism when. the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat.

I The term substantial exhaustion of fill ing is generally employed to designate substantial depletion of the filling in the active shuttle to a degree which permits a full length of filling to be laid in the shed on t the last pick of the shuttle prior to replenishment.

The loom framel may be of usual construction and has mounted thereon the bear-- ing supporting brackets 2 for supporting the transverse or rock shaft 3, one of said bearings being at each side of the loom. Rising from the rock shaft 3 is the arm 4 to which is pivoted at 5 the latch 6 having a rear end portion 7 which is adapted to be engaged at times with an operating member 8 which may, through the mechanism described, turn the rock shaft to efli'ect replenishment of filling, as usual in this type of looms.

The lay is provided with the usual shuttle box 9 at the detecting side. of the loom, and the shuttle box is provided with an opening 10 in the front wall thereof, which will register with a corresponding opening 11 in the adjacent wall of the shuttle 12 when the latter is properly boxed. The shuttle 12 has mounted therein the filling carrier or bobbin 13.

Extending from the loom frame is the shipper stand 14 from which extends the supporting arm 15 having a slot 16 for adjustably supporting a bracket 17 by means of a bolt 18, all of which is conventionally shown in Fig. l.

The feeler carrier on which the laterally movable feeler tip is mounted, as will presently appear, is mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom. Feeler carriers have heretofore been developed in the art, and in some cases they have been formed as slides which reciprocate in a rectilinear path toward and from the front of the loom, while in other cases they have been formedv as swinging arms pivotally connected to the loom frame. In the present invention the former type of feeler carrier is used for illustrative purposes.

Adjustably mounted on the bracket 17 by means of the securing screws 19 passing through the slot 20 is the feeler stand 21..

Extending upwardly from the feeler stand 7 is the front guide 22 and at the rear of the feeler stand is a substantially similar guide 23 through both of which extends the feeler carrier 24. and by which the reciprocating movements of the carrier are guided. In the present instance, the front and rear bearings 22 and 23 are provided with slots or openings in which the feeler carrier may move.

The rear end portion of the feeler carrier 24 is formed as a curved seat 25 against which rests the feeler tip 26.' The feeler tip 26 is supported in position with the front portion of the tip resting against the seat 25 by means of the confining plate 27, which may be secured to the feeler carrier 24 by means such as the bolt or pin 28. The confining plate 27 has its rear end portion formed with an opening 29 through which extends the tooth-engaging end por tion 30 of the fceler tip 28. At each side of the opening 29 the confining plate 27 is provitled with a stop 31 which serves to limit the lateral or bodily transverse movement,

of the feeler tip 26 in either direction.

The present invention contemplates that the feeler tip shall partake of its bodily lateral movement relative to the feeler carrier 24 when, on a detecting beat, the filling has reached the desired degree of substantial exhaustion. Means are also provided and connected to the laterally-movable feeler tip for effecting replenishment of filling when the tip is moved laterally as the lay moves frontwardly.

Pivotallymounted on the feeler stand 21 at 32 is the swinging member or lever To the free end portion of the swinging member or lever 33 is connected the end 34 of a spring 35, the rear end portion. of which is connected to the feeler tip 26 at 36. The swinging member or lever has bearing against the feeler carrier 24, whereby the rearward pull of the spring 35 may effect rearward movement of the feeler carrier. In the present instance of the invention, the swinging member or lever 33 is provided with an opening 37 through which extends the frontwardly-projecting portion or stem 38 of the feeler carrier 24. The opening 37 through which the stem 38 of the feeler carrier extends, is elongated laterally but not of suiiicient size to permit the fiat rear portion of the feeler carrier 24 to pass through such opening. In other words, the swinging member or lever 33 bears against the rounded shouldered portion 39 of the feeler carrier and is held in bearing contact therewith by the spring 35. If desired, the swinging member or lever 33 may have a series of holes 40 by which the spring 35 may be adjusted as to its effect upon the swinging movement of the lever. 7

Connected to the feeler tip 26 at the side opposite the connection of the spring 35 therewith is a pull rod 41 which passes frontwardly through an opening 42 in the swinging member or lever and has an enlarged head portion 43 which,in the present instance, is formed by turning the end f the pull rod as indicated in Fig. 1, the construction being such that when the feeler carrier moves to its rearward position, the head 43 on the pull rod will engage with the swinging member or lever 33 and effect a frontward pull on the feeler tip 26 and cause it to move laterally to its proper feeling position in opposition to the pull of the spring 35.

From the construction thus far described, it will be apparent that Whenfilling is present in a substantial supply on a detecting beat, the teeth 30 of the feeler tip 26 will sink into the filling as the lay beats up, and cause the feeler carrier to move frontwardly, therebyswinging the member or lever 33 about its pivotal support 32 and increasing the tension or: frontward pull of the spring 35, the construction being such that as the have anincreasing tendency to move the 'feeler tip 26 laterally, but will be held from eifectingsuch lateral movement of the tip by the engaged filling when a working sup- .ply is. present in the shuttle. During the frontward movement of the feeler carrier 24 the pull rod a1 will move frontwardly through the swinging member or lever 33, substantially as indicated in Fig. 2. As the lay goes back, the feeler carrier will follow the backward movement of the lay under the pull of the spring 35, and when the feeler carrier has reached its rearward position, which may be defined by the swinging member or lever 33 striking the bearing 23, the pull rod-4:1 will exercise a pull upon the feeler tip, tending to restore the feeler tip to its normal feeling position laterally of the feeler carrier. When the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, the teeth 80 of the feeler tip will again be engaged by the frontwardly-moving surface within the shuttle, now beingconstituted by the exposed surface of the filling carrier or bobbin; and the feeler carrier and feeler tip will be moved frontwardly. As the feeler carrier and feeler tip move frontwardly, the increasing tension of the spring 35 will exert a frontward pull upon the feeler tip tending to move it laterally of the feeler carrier, or to the left, Fig. 1, into: the position as indicated in Fig. 3, and advantage is taken of this bodily movement of. the feeler tip to effect replenishment of filling as will presently be described.

Connected-to thefeeler tip at 4A is a link which extends frontwardly and is connected at 16 to a controller 47 formed as an arm pivoted at 28 and connected at its free end ates to a transmitter or red 49, the other end of which is pivoted to one arm of the bell crank lever 50 mounted at 51 upon thestand 52 rising fromthe loom frame. One arm of the'bell crank lever 50 extends under, the latch 6 as indicated in Fig. 1, whereby swinging. movement of the bell crank in a contraclockwise direction, viewing Fig. 1, will place the end 7 of the latch 6 in the path of the operating member 8 and effect replenishment of filling. .When, therefore, the feeler tip is moved laterally from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 3 onv a detecting beat, and when filling is substantially exhausted, it will exert a pull on the pull rode-1 as the feeler carrier moves frontwardly and will likewise. exert a pull on the link 45, thereby turning the controlling member on its pivotal support 28, an

through the connections described, rocking the bell crank lever to place the latch 6v in operative relation with the operating member.

I It will notedfrom the construction described as a good, practical form of the present invention, that the feeler tip 26 has a bodily movement in a curved path defined by the guiding surface 25 on the feeler carrier and that the tensioning means or spring 35 exert a frontwa-rd pull which, under the resolution of forces exerted upon the feeler tip effects lateral movement of the tip relative to the carrier on which it is mounted. Similarly, on the backward movement of the feeler carrier when this swinging movement or lever 33 approaches its rearward position, the pull rod 41 will act by a frontward pull upon the feeler tip at the opposite side from that of the spring with the result that the feeler tip will be moved laterally by the frontward pull into its initial position. This feature of theinvention is of importance. One of its important characteristics consists in the bodily movement of the feeler tip as described in connection with a frontward pull upon the feeler tip which is exerted at times to effect its lateral movement in one or the other direction.

guished by the increasing pull exerted by the spring as the lay moves frontwardly so that the maximum tendency of the spring 1s felt by the feeler tip after the teeth of the promptness of response to the presence or. absence of filling on a detecting beat are both secured by the present invention, so that when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle there will be no unnecessary change of filling, and when the supply in the running shuttle has reached a desired degree of substantial exhaustion, that the feeler mechanism will act promptly to effect a change.

hat is claimed is 7 1.111 a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier mounted formovement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip mounted for bodily movement laterally on the feeler carrier, a spring which normally tends to move the feeler carrier to its rearward position and the feeler tip laterally and is prevented from effecting lateral movement of the feeler tip by its engagement with. the filling on a detecting beat until substantial ex haustion of filling, and means linked to the feeler tip to effect replenishment of filling when the feeler tip is bodily moved laterally on a detecting beat.

2. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising, in combination, a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip mounted on the feeler carrier for movementlaterally This characteristic of the lnvention is further d1st1nthereof, a spring normally tending to move the feeler tip laterally of the feeler carrier, positively operating means acting in opposition to the spring to prevent movement of the feeler tip responsive to the spring when the feeler carrier is in rear vard position and freeing the feeler tip to movement responsive to the spring as the feeler carrier is moved frontwardly on a detecting beat, and teeth projecting from the feeler tip which by engagement with the filling on a detecting beat prevent lateral movement of the tip responsive to the spring until the filling is substantially exhausted, and means actuated when the feeler tip is moved laterally for replenishing filling;

A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising, in combination, a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip bodily movable laterally on the feeler carrier, a spring normally acting to move the feeler tip laterally on the feeler carrier and prevented from effecting such movement by engagement of the tip with the filling on a detecting beat until substantial exhaustion of the filling, a link connected to the feeler tip and acting to restore the tip to its initial position as the feeler carrier moves rearwardly, and means for effecting replenishment of filling when the feeler tip moved laterally by the spring on a detecting beat.

1. A feeler mechanism for looms comprising, in combination, a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip bodily movable laterally on the feeler carrier, a spring normally acting to move the feeler tip laterally on the feeler carrier and prevented from effecting such movement by engagement of the tip with the filling on a detecting beat until substantial exhaustion of the filling, means for causing the spring to act with increasing energy as the feeler carrier is moved frontwardly, a link connected to the feeler tip and acting to restore the tip to its initial position as the feeler carrier moves rearwardly, and means for effecting replenishment of filling when the feeler tip is moved laterally by the spring on a detecting beat.

I 5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, a feeler carrier having a feeler tip movable laterally thereon, a spring connected to the tip to move it laterally and the carrier rearwardly, and a link connected to the tip to move it positively in the opposite direction on the carrier.

6. In a feeler mechanism for looms, a feeler carrier, a feeler tip bodily movable laterally on the carrier, a spring connected to the tip and constantly acting with a tendency to move it laterally, and means connected to the tip for positively moving it in the opposite direction.

7. In a feeler mechanism, a feeler carrier, a feeler tip, bodily movable laterally on the feeler carrier, a spring acting With progressively increasing force by frontward pull upon the tip to move the tip laterally on the carrier, prevented from effecting such lateral movement by engagement of the tip with the filling on a detecting beat until substantial exhaustion thereof and means connected to the tip as the feeler moves rearwardly tending to move the feeler tip laterally on the feeler carrier in the opposite direction.

8. In a feeler mechanism, the combination of a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip mounted for lateral movement on the carrier, a lever mounted independently of the carrier and connected thereto, and a spring connecting the feeler tip and lever and reacting on the tip to move it laterally and on the feeler carrier to move it rearwardly.

9. In a feeler mechanism, the combination of a feeler carrierv mounted for movement toward and from the front ofthe loom, a feeler tip mounted for lateral movement on the carrier, a lever mounted independently of the carrier and connected thereto, a spring connecting the feeler tip and lever and reacting on the tip to move it laterally and on the feeler carrier to move it rearwardly, and means between the lever and feeler tip for restoring the tip to initial osition as the carrier is moved rearwardly. V

10. In a feeler mechanism, the combinaion of a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip mounted for lateral movement on the carrier, a lever mounted independently of the carrier and connected thereto, a spring connecting the feeler tip and lever and reacting on the tip to move it laterally and on the feeler carrier to move it rearwardly, and means connected to the tip. for 'efiecting replenishment of filling When the spring moves the tip laterally on a detecting beat.

11. In a feeler mechanism, the combination of a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip mounted for bodily movement in a curved path on the feeler carrier, a spring connected to one end of the feeler tip and exerting a frontward pull thereon to move the feeler tip laterally on the feeler carrier, a link connected to the opposite end of the feeler tip, and a member connected to the spring and to the link and acting to increase the tension of the spring as the carrier is moved frontwardly and exert a pull upon the link as the carrier moves rearwardly to restore the tip to its initial position on the carrier.

12. In a feeler mechanism for looms, a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip bodily movable laterally on the carrier and supported to be engaged and pushed frontwardly with the carrier by the filling on a detecting beat, a spring connected to one side of the tip and arranged to have its tension increased upon frontward movement of the carrier to exert an increasing laterally displacing force uponthe tip, and means connected to the other side of the tip to move it laterally in opposition to the spring as the feeler carrier moves rearwardly.

13. In a feeler mechanism or looms, a feeler carrier mounted for movement toward and from the front of the loom, a feeler tip movable laterally on the carrier and supported to engage the filling and to be moved frontwardly thereby with the carrier on a detecting beat, a lever mounted to be rocked frontwardly by the frontward movement of the carrier, and a spring tensioned by the frontward movement of the lever to exert a laterally displacing force upon the feeler tip.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ISAAC snow. 

